KUALA LUMPUR — A Malaysian senator has proposed barring Singapore vehicles from leaving the country if they have outstanding fines.

United Malays National Organisation senator Ms Rabiyah Ali added that drivers caught speeding and driving recklessly in Malaysia should be penalised with maximum fines.

“The problem of illegal racing and reckless driving by owners of (luxury cars and high-powered motorcycles) from Singapore has been a tough challenge for us,” the senator said in parliament on Tuesday (Dec 4).

“The North-South Expressway, from Johor Bahru to Malacca, has become a ‘test circuit’ for these vehicles almost every week,” she said.

Imposing maximum fines and barring errant Singapore-registered vehicles from leaving Malaysia until the summons are paid will curb the problem of Singaporean drivers speeding on Malaysian highways, Ms Rabiyah said.

From 2010 to 2016, errant Singaporean motorists were responsible for most of the 275,663 unpaid summons in Malaysia, with a staggering 184,024 unpaid summonses and 3,423 arrest warrants in Malaysia.

A 48-hour blitz by the Malaysian federal traffic police last year against errant Singaporean motorists saw 3,000 Singaporeans, including those with unsettled summonses, caught for various offences, mainly speeding. Close to RM200,000 (S$64,342) in fines were paid.

The offenders were given an option to pay on the spot or collect their vehicles from the station after paying up.